I Choose You
by Melissa7187
Summary: A series of one-shots for Chaubrey week over on Tumblr. Chapter Five: Chloe just wants to enjoy turning sixteen. But when a sleepover and scary stories and her dumb cousin Tina threaten to ruin her night, she starts to think that maybe she's just going to skip celebrating next year.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the first of eight one-shots for Chaubrey week. I'm one of the admins for this over on Tumblr and it's a really nice thing that everyone should check out. This collection will be entitled _I Choose You_, which comes from a Sara Bareilles song. Without further ado, here is part one. I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

_I am not scared of the elements_  
_I am underprepared, but I am willing_  
_And even better_  
_I get to be the other half of you_

_I Choose You- Sara Bareilles_

* * *

**Theme 1: Baby-Chaubrey/Pre-Barden**

**Title: Tall Tales For Spring**

* * *

"Aubrey, please? You know how much this would mean to my mom." Chloe smiled sadly, before shaking her head and reaching out for Aubrey's hand. "She's been talking about my prom all year and telling me all of these dumb stories about how she missed her own and how much she wanted to go. She even has a dress reserved over at Missy's in town. I know that you love to dance. So, could you please consider it? Don't make me beg."

"Prom is for couples, Chloe." Aubrey started hesitantly, biting her bottom lip as Chloe's eyes filled with tears and her cheeks flushed. "We're not a couple. You're my girlfriend and I would love to spend the night dancing with you, but we both know how our parents would react. I'm pretty sure that my dad's head would explode and your mom has been planning your wedding since you were five years old. I can't. Maybe someday we could tell them, but not over something like this."

"I'm not asking you to come out, Bree. We could just go as friends. No one would ever think that-"

"-That two girls going together isn't gay? Come on, Chloe. You know that we can't. It's not even with what our parents would say. It's how the other kids and the teachers and the school would react. The answer is no."

"You won't even consider it?" Chloe asked, blinking back her tears and standing up from Aubrey's bed, desperate to run away. "It's just an automatic no?"

"Chlo…please don't do this to me", Aubrey pled while playing with a loose string on her floral comforter. Her heart was aching and she wanted so badly to say yes and to see that smile, but she knew better. This couldn't happen. "Don't go to prom. Ignore your mom and go out with me. We can see a movie or get dinner or just drive around. You don't have to do this for her."

"Just like you don't have to do this for me? I can't…" Chloe trailed off, the bubble of emotion popping in her chest and fighting to make its way out as a whimper or a sob. She hated getting like this, especially in front of Aubrey.

"You can't what?" Aubrey whispered, staring down at her bedspread and preparing herself for the words that she knew were coming. The words that she had prepared herself for since their first kiss. The ones that kept her from giddily dancing around her room after their first date. From collapsing into a heap after their first time.

She was ready. Posen's were always prepared.

"I can't do this with you anymore. I love you and I always will, but we both know that we're not good for each other. We could never be open and I can't be in a relationship like that." She wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand and gave Aubrey a tiny smile before heading for the door. She wanted desperately to take her words back, but she knew that they were permanent. That they could never last. That it was inevitable with families like theirs.

"Good night, Bree."

And as Chloe slipped from her room and down the corridor, running down the steps and slamming the front door behind her, Aubrey felt her heart finally break into pieces. She had been prepared, but in reality nothing could prepare her for the way that she felt right now. Like her heart had been removed from her chest and acid had been poured into her stomach. Like she could never move on from this moment, reliving those final words over and over as the sun slowly set and moonlight poured into her room. And finally, before she drifted off to sleep with wet cheeks and aching eyes, she said the words that she should have said hours ago.

"Please don't give up on me."

* * *

Chloe didn't actually want to go to prom. While it had been nice to think about from time to time, it was never something that she dreamt of. Sure, she loved dressing up and the idea of a frilly dress and corsage made her smile, but it wasn't something that she needed to do. She could have the optimum high school experience without crowding into the local banquet hall with the rest of her classmates and slow dancing to awful music. She just couldn't say no to her mom, not after everything she had been through over the past two years.

If she had said no, her mother would know that something was up. She just couldn't understand how a sixteen year old couldn't be excited at the prospect of prom and when Chloe had at first seemed disinterested, her mother had panicked. Her oldest child could **not** skip out on prom. She wanted the pictures with the handsome boy and the limo and the dress that would bring tears to her eyes when Chloe slipped it on. Most of all though, she just wanted some normalcy and she wanted Chloe to be happy. And in the haze of being a mother, she couldn't understand how her happiness didn't go hand in hand with prom.

So, Chloe did what any good child would do and pasted on a smile while telling her mother that yes, she was going to prom. While she had left out the little part that it would be with her secret girlfriend of two years, it wasn't a total lie and the look of utter bliss on her mother's face made her stomach flop. The feeling didn't go away until Aubrey turned her down and then it turned into a sinking feeling that didn't go away no matter how hard she tried. She never thought that she would lose Aubrey over something so stupid, but it had happened and she hated herself for it.

She asked out Tom, who she knew was in the same situation that she was in. He was one of her closest friends and they had dated for a little while back in middle school, but they broken it off when Tom talked more about boys then she did. They had remained close though and neither of them had come out to their parents yet. Tom was being raised by a single-mother as well and they had bonded over how completely clueless they could be sometimes. And so, they both took one for the team and agreed to be each other's beard, charming their mothers while posing for cheesy photographs and acting like an adorable couple.

She knew that Aubrey would hate it, but she had no choice. Aubrey was less than _fond _of Tom, calling him "as dumb as a bag of rocks" and ignoring him at lunch when he would occasionally join them at their table. She couldn't understand how Chloe could be so enamored with someone so dumb, but Chloe simply shrugged and suggested that maybe Tom was just like them. Aubrey couldn't stand that logic though and screwed up her face in a scowl, focusing on her meticulously packed lunch while Tom and Chloe would talk about whatever random thoughts invaded the dunce's mind.

Tom had been so great through the whole process, accompanying her on the trip to Missy's with her mother and simply smiling when Chloe's mom suggested that he wear a pink vest under his suit jacket to match Chloe's. He agree without protest, even though he knew all of the jocks at school would call him a fag or whatever new insult they cooked up, and told Chloe she looked beautiful with each new one she tried on. He had even picked out the perfect corsage and taken her to her hair appointment and had just been great through the whole thing. They both had other people that they would rather be spending the evening with, but this was the card that fate had dealt them and they just needed to suck it up and deal with it.

Even if it broke both of their hearts in the process.

* * *

Prom night finally came and Aubrey was doing her best to keep her mind off of it. She had laid in her bed until three in the afternoon, avoiding getting up and facing the sight of the house across the street that would undoubtedly be full of life and excitement. She could just picture Mrs. Beale rushing around with her giant, ancient camera and forcing Chloe to pose with Tom all over the house. Kissing Chloe's cheek and giving Tom a hard time before wishing them a good time and wiping a tear from her eyes as she shuffled back into the house. It was easier to just ignore it, hiding out in her lair until she heard the too loud engine of Tom's second hand Honda start up and drive down the street towards town.

It was only when she was sure that Chloe was gone that she rose from her bed and got dressed and decided that she needed some kind of distraction. While she could have headed downstairs and joined her father on the couch for a Braves game, she wasn't that big of a loser and decided to go out. And like any self-sufficient teenager with a car and a poor attitude, she headed to the _Dairy Queen_ to grab a milkshake to drown her sorrows in.

There was a little league game in town and she sat in the parking lot, blasting old rock music on her car's stereo while she sucked up the chocolate ice cream and watched the kids play. It was decidedly different than how she had wanted to spend her evening, but it wasn't necessarily bad…just different. Or at least it was until the parade of limos started down main street, packed full of her classmates in their perfect dresses and neat, pressed suits. Smiling and waving with the windows down at the housewives and their husbands that had gathered to watch.

And then there was Chloe, sat next to Tom in his rusty old car, waving through the window and smiling a million dollar smile. Her hair was perfect and her dress looked like something a princess would wear, pink and poofy and gorgeous. Tom was next to her with his shit-eating grin plastered on his face and he looked great too. They were the perfect couple and Aubrey tried to ignore it as the tears filled her eyes and her ice cream suddenly tasted awful on her tongue.

She should have been in that car, beaming as the world fell in love with her girlfriend. Instead, she was slouched down in the front seat of her fancy Buick, slumming it in sweatpants and an old t-shirt and chugging down a milkshake. And as she tossed it out the window and headed for home, all she wanted to do was curl up on her bed and cry and just forget about it all.

And so she did while Chloe probably had the time of her life. Sometimes life sucked.

* * *

Tom smelt like cinnamon bubblegum and his arms were warm, but not tender, around her bare back. His suit was crisp against her cheek as she leaned against his chest and his hand was pressing against the small of her back, pulling her close as they swayed to the slow jam being pumped through the speakers.

His dancing was methodical; a cadence of numbers playing in his head as he carefully moved his feet, careful not to tread on her perfect shoes. His big sister, home from college and smirking, had taught him the night before how to slow dance with a girl and he felt like a fool. Bumping his chin against her forehead as he tried to dip her and mumbling apologies when he squeezed her hand too hard. He was nervous and it was showing. He just really wanted her to be happy.

He smelt like Old Spice and Chloe sighed as she leaned into his shoulder and blinked back tears. _He smells like Dad. Don't do this here._

He felt her tremble in her arms and pulled back, smiling down at her and touching her face. When she didn't look up, he traced his fingers down her arm and rested them on her elbow, squeezing it gently before picking up her hand and kissing it.

"Are you okay?" He whispered as he placed tiny kisses on each knuckle. "Do you want to sit down for a while? We don't _have_ to dance if you don't want to."

Chloe smiled and looked up, blinking back tears as she stared into his caring brown eyes. He was such a sweetheart and he had been nothing but nice to her the whole evening. He was a great friend, but he wasn't Aubrey. Not even close.

"I'm okay", she murmured while running a thumb over his chin and rubbing off a tiny patch of forgotten shaving cream. "Are you having a good time?"

"Not really." He admitted while gazing into her eyes and trying not to laugh. They both knew what this was about. She would rather be with Aubrey and he would rather be with Teddy, the captain of the tennis team. "Mom will be pleased when she sees the pictures, though. She **really** likes you."

"She's in denial. So is my mom." Chloe shrugged and straightened his tie before leaning back against him and starting to sway again. "She doesn't understand."

"I understand." Tom breathed against her ear and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. He ran a hand through her locks and stopped when his fingers hit the chain that was around her neck. Pulling back, he picked up the tiny necklace and examined it, running his thumb over the stone and placing it back against her chest. "It's blue, like your eyes."

He was **definitely **not like Aubrey.

* * *

_"It's aquamarine." Aubrey announced as she pulled the necklace off of the small stand. It was draped over the earring rack, between smiley face studs and gaudy hoop earrings, out of place and teetering on dropping to the floor. "It's March's birthstone. You were born in June, right?"_

_She examined the gem and shrugged while sinking onto the bed next to Chloe, whose face was buried into her physics textbook as she struggled through her homework. She threaded the chain through her fingers and sighed as she flopped backwards onto the bed with a sigh._

_"Chloe!" Aubrey exclaimed while rolling her eyes. "I asked you a question."_

_"Yeah, I was born in June." Chloe mumbled through the pencil that was shoved between her teeth. It was a comfort thing and she truly believed that it aided in her thought process. "June 19th. Why?"_

_She looked up at Aubrey and paled when she saw the necklace in her hands, reaching out for it and snatching it away from her. Aubrey's mouth dropped open as Chloe squeezed it for a moment and then placed it in her top drawer, under her underwear and in a secret case that held the spare key to her mother's liquor cabinet and some cigarettes._

_"Jeez…I was just looking!"_

_"No one is allowed to touch it." Chloe spat out, standoffish and anxious as she ran her fingers over the knob on the front of the drawer. "It's…it's just really important."_

_"It's not even the right birthstone. Yours is crystal, which is definitely not bl-"_

_"-My dad gave it to my mom."_

_"Oh." Aubrey sat up, her face pale as she watched her best friend blink back tears and look away. "I'm sorry, I…I didn't know."_

_Chloe smiled gently and took the necklace out of the box, holding it in her palm as she sat down next to Aubrey. She showed her the necklace and ran a finger over the stone as she tried not to get emotional. The comforting hand that Aubrey placed on her shoulder wasn't helping at all though._

_"He bought it for my mom when they were dating. Her birthday is in December and he didn't know that there are a few months with blue birthstones. March is aquamarine and December is…"_

_"Blue zircon", Aubrey whispered while reaching out to hold Chloe's hand, threading their fingers as they squeezed the necklace and kept it safe. "Why didn't he ask someone at the jewelry store?"_

_"He didn't like to ask people for help. He was really stubborn."_

_"Now I know where you got it from!"_

_"Hey!" Chloe exclaimed while shoving Aubrey playfully. "That's a low blow, Posen. Anyway, he picked this one out and when my mom told him that it was the wrong color, he made up some dumb excuse and told her that he just picked it because it matched her eyes. She wore it until the day he died."_

_Chloe looked away, her eyes filling with tears and the breath catching in her throat. She __**hated **__this._

_Aubrey didn't shy away as her friend cried. She just reached out and rubbed her back, whispering to her softly as she tried to keep breathing and to calm down. He had been gone for two years, but sometimes it felt like yesterday and the ache would return to take over her whole body._

_It was awful._

* * *

_Aubrey wasn't allowed at the funeral. Her father refused to let her go, telling her that she needed to let them breathe and give them some space to grieve. That Chloe should be with her family during a time like this. That a funeral home was no place for children._

_She had sulked and stomped her feet and yelled, but there was so swaying her father and so she spent the day lying on her bed and staring out her window at the empty house across the street. The house that was usually packed and full of life was in mourning and she wasn't invited. It hurt and she wanted so badly to be there. To hug her friend and tell her it was okay. Fourteen was __**not **__too young for this._

_So, when the knock came at her front door at half past five, she didn't think anything of it. She laid in her bed and sulked until her father's booming voice told her to come downstairs. Now._

_She ran as fast as her legs could take her and nearly toppled over when she saw Chloe standing in the doorway, her hair disheveled and her eyes bright red from crying. Her father was wordless as he placed a hand on her back and pushed her forward, moving her towards her best friend and shaking her from her reverie._

_"What are you doing here?" Aubrey whispered, afraid of making Chloe cry as the tears started to fill her eyes again. "I thought that you'd be at…" She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say the word 'funeral'. That would make it real and she didn't want to hurt her. She __**couldn't**__ hurt her._

_"I…c-couldn't." The tears ran from Chloe's eyes and her lip quivered as she fought her body from collapsing into sobs. "We got to the graveyard and I just…I ran. Could I stay here for a little while? I can't go home."_

_Aubrey looked up at her father and felt her mouth fall open as he wordlessly nodded and gave Chloe a tight smile. He left the girls alone and walked into the kitchen, telling his wife to set another place at the table for their guest. __Dad is never nice to Chloe. He thinks she's annoying and a brat. Why is he letting her stay?_

_She shook the thoughts from her head and pulled Chloe in for a hug, running her fingers through her messy waves and whispering apologies as she guided her away from the door and into the house. As they stepped into the living room, her father left the kitchen and stopped them with a raise of his hand. _

_"Watch TV for a little while. Dinner will be ready in a half hour."_

_"Thank you, Mr. Posen." Chloe mumbled while leaving Aubrey's arms and walking into the living room, leaving her friend alone to face her father._

_"Dad?" Aubrey began, blushing as he stiffened and glared down at her. "You never let us watch TV before our homework is done. Are you sure?"_

_"Aubrey", he sighed while trying not to roll his eyes, "just go and watch TV. We'll talk later."_

_But the talk never came. Her father didn't say another word all evening, staring into his pot roast as his wife and Aubrey tried desperately to move the dinner conversation along as Chloe sat in silence, her eyes brimming with tears. The only words she managed to say came when Mrs. Posen took her plate away and asked her if she was feeling okay. _

"_Pot roast was my dad's favorite, Mrs. Posen."_

_Her father left the dining room at that moment and Aubrey bit her lip as she tried not to cry. Her mother was fighting it too and patted Chloe's quivering shoulder before taking the dirty dishes into the kitchen. Moments later, her father returned with two heaping bowls of ice cream and left the room without another word._

_She didn't see him for the rest of the night. Not when they watched Chloe's favorite movie, __Beauty and the Beast__, or when they drank hot chocolate with tons of marshmallows or when a commercial for dog food sent Chloe into hysterics. __Dad loved Sammy so much. Who's going to walk him in the morning or take him for jogs?_

_She didn't see her father until he crept into the darkened den and asked Chloe to come with him for a minute, taking her into his office just off of the living room. When Chloe came back, her eyes were filled with fresh tears and Aubrey pretended to be asleep, not wanting to push her friend any further. She never asked Chloe what had been said, but she had an idea. Her father had lost his dad at a young age and maybe he was just trying to make Chloe not feel so alone. Maybe he wasn't completely terrible. _

_Maybe._

* * *

_"She gave it to me the day after we buried him. At breakfast, it was sitting in front of my plate and mom just smiled at me. I thought that she was upset with me for running away, but she wasn't." Chloe looked down at the necklace in her hands and smiled warmly, remembering how her father used to tease her mother endlessly about how much she loved it. "I miss him."_

_"I do too." Aubrey whispered while rubbing Chloe's back and moving a little closer to her on the edge of the twin bed._

_She didn't know Andrew Beale well, but Aubrey's words were as true as any words she had ever said. His death had changed her best friend and she missed him desperately. She missed him for the smile that used to easily decorate Chloe's face and the constant giggling as she made awful jokes and puns. She mourned for a stranger when Chloe cried when they watched __It's A Wonderful Life__ and when Chloe's mom taught her how to drive and she ran over the Posen's mailbox._

_Her heart ached for him because Chloe's did as well. She missed him because there was no other choice._

_As Chloe moved her head slightly and pressed her lips against Aubrey's, her gasp muffled by Chloe's strawberry lip balm, she tried to imagine just how Mr. Beale would feel about this. Would he hate her? Would he be disappointed? Would he still love his daughter?_

_It was her first kiss. It was the nicest moment of her life so far. It was tinged with emotions and mourning and love. It was everything she had ever wanted._

_Her father __**could not**__ find out about this._

* * *

_Boys II Men_ had just finished playing and Chloe pulled back, smiling sadly at Tom and combing his tousled hair with her fingers. She couldn't do this anymore and somehow he understood. She had been lost in thought since he placed the tiny gem back onto her chest and he knew that it was something that he couldn't possibly understand. She got like this sometimes and it was easier to just let her grieve than to push her.

He gave her a tiny smile in return and took her arm in his hand, clutching it gently while he pulled her off of the dance floor and to a quiet area where they could talk. She looked down at her feet while he simply stroked her arm and tried to comfort her. She didn't say a word as she shuffled back and forth in her fancy shoes and he knew that it was over. They had only gotten four dances in and didn't eat dinner yet, but he was okay with that. He just wanted her to be alright.

"Do you want to go home?" He softly asked while touching her chin and lifting it up to see her eyes. "I'm not having a good time, Chloe, and I know that you aren't either. Let me take you home."

"Thank you for taking me, Tom." She looked away for a moment, suddenly ashamed that she had fallen into her thoughts and couldn't get out. She hated when she got like this. Aubrey was the only one that could bring her out of it and she wasn't there. This had been a mistake.

"Let's go home."

* * *

They idled outside of the house for a little bit and Aubrey couldn't help but notice, having to turn the volume of her cheesy movie up until she couldn't stand it anymore and crept over to her window. She peeked through a slat in the blinds and paled when she saw that Chloe was home already. It was still early and if she was done at the dance by now, then something must have gone wrong. She couldn't care though. They weren't dating and Chloe didn't love her anymore. This wasn't her mess to clean up.

Still, she couldn't stop herself from sitting there and watching them. She knew she looked like a creep but that was just the way it was with Chloe. You couldn't keep your eyes off of her.

Down in the car, Tom turned the radio off and squeezed Chloe's hand while looking up at her darkened house. Her mother was having movie night with her little brother and sister and there was no way that she could sneak in without getting caught by her family that was gathered in the den. Still, she couldn't stay in the car any longer. She just wanted to go upstairs and cry herself out and just forget about everything.

"Do you want to go over to my place and hang out for a little while?" Tom asked softly while stroking his thumb over each of her fingers. "I don't want you be alone and I know that your mom probably has a million questions. My mom's not home and we could just watch a movie or something. We could even just drive around, if you want."

"That's really sweet, but I should go inside. I had a really nice time tonight, Tom. I just…I think I need to be alone for a little while." She gave him a tiny smile and leaned in, kissing his cheek and squeezing his hand before pulling away. "Thank you for taking my mind off of everything."

She got out of the car and lingered next to the open door for a few moments, listening to the crickets singing in the background as she peered at the house across the street and at the light on in Aubrey's room. She wanted nothing more than to walk across the street and knock on that door, waiting until Aubrey came down before planting a huge kiss on her lips and apologizing for everything. It could never happen though and that broke her heart even more.

"Call me if you need to talk, Chlo." Tom called out before she closed the door and leaned into the open window with a smile. "And I hope that you two work this stuff out. You love her and a dumb dance isn't worth throwing it all away over. Good night, Beale."

"Good night, Tom."

* * *

All it took was one glimpse of Chloe swiping the tears out of her eyes as she walked into the house and Aubrey was gone, storming past her snoozing father and out the front door as she headed across the street. She didn't care that they were broken up or that it was dark out. All that mattered was that Chloe was crying and no girl, no matter how infuriating she was sometimes, dressed like that should have their night end with a whimper.

She hid in the bushes for a few minutes until she saw the light in Chloe's room turn on and sprung into action. She grabbed the ladder that used to hang from Chloe's window, placed their conveniently by Mrs. Beale who didn't want Aubrey knocking on the door at all hours of the day, from underneath the porch and gently placed it against the vinyl siding of the house. Once she was sure that it was secure, she held her breath and slowly started to climb up the rungs and to the top where Chloe was to be found. And if she was lucky, she would open the window and let her in.

Thankfully the window wasn't locked and Aubrey slowly eased it open, biting her lip as she climbed inside and found herself face to face with a crying Chloe Beale. She was still in her dress, but she was falling apart. Her hair was down from its perfect bun and her makeup was smeared on her cheeks. She was still perfect though and Aubrey couldn't stop herself as she surged three steps forward and pressed her lips to Chloe's, muffling the tiny gasp she made as she wrapped her arms around the girl and held her close.

This was how her evening was supposed to end.

* * *

"You have to understand, Chloe. My dad…" Aubrey trailed off as she gently wiped the smeared mascara off of Chloe's cheeks and held her breath. She couldn't talk about her father without getting emotional and right now, all she cared about was Chloe.

"I get it, Bree." Chloe sniffled and reached up to remove Aubrey's hand, more content to clutch it in hers and let her tears roll freely. She was tired of holding everything in. "My mom doesn't know either and if she did, I don't know what would happen... "

She looked down at her feet for a moment, unable to continue as the scenarios started to run through her head. Of her mother's face filled with disappointment and embarrassment. Of the door being slammed in her face as her mother kicked her out. It was all too much to bear.

"Chlo, don't think about it. It's okay. She doesn't suspect anything and I'm here and we're okay now. You have **me**."

"Can you just…please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone tonight."

* * *

They made for a mismatched pair as they laid on Chloe's tiny twin bed, Aubrey in her pajamas and Chloe in her fancy gown. Somehow though, it made perfect sense and neither girl moved for the longest time. They had missed the comfort of each other's arms and they just wanted to savor this one moment for a little while longer.

Aubrey wanted to remember every detail, committing it to her memory so she could remember later on just how much she loved that girl. To remember the tiny things that she adored so a fight or a disagreement didn't end in them falling apart. The smell of her perfume, the rough fabric of the dress against her arms as she held her, the soft breaths against her neck. A thousand perfect memories that she never wanted to forget. How it felt at seventeen to be so in love that she thought her heart would burst open. In a moment where everything felt right. She never wanted it to end.

She couldn't stand the silence though and the one question biting at her lips, desperate to be vocalized in the dim of the room. Sometimes she was her own worst enemy, but life wasn't perfect and moments like that weren't meant to last forever.

"So, how awful was Tom's dancing tonight?" Aubrey teased against Chloe's ear, her warm breath nipping at her lobe and sending shivers down Chloe's spine as her body shook from her silent laughter.

"Oh my God, Bree! Do you have to?" Chloe pulled away from her and shoved her gently while dissolving into laughter as well. "He's a nice guy, okay!? He can't help it that he's not the brightest and he did fine. He only stepped on my toes a few times and he was just really nice. I'm more concerned with the fact that he didn't dip me. That's what you're supposed to do when you're dancing with a pretty girl. I'm kind of disappointed."

Aubrey simply smiled and placed a tiny kiss on the top of Chloe's head before standing up from the bed and approaching the record player that Chloe rarely used. She flipped through the crate of records underneath the turntable before finding the perfect one and sliding it from its sleeve and onto the player. She placed the needle on the vinyl and turned the volume up slowly, letting the crackling music spill through the speakers and into the moonlit room.

It was the perfect song to dance to, in Aubrey's opinion. She wasn't a fan of The Beatles, but _Something_ was a great song. It was perfectly fine to dance to a song playing from a stereo or a computer, but there was something eloquently romantic about the crack of dust on vinyl and the distortion of age that was the key feature of a record player. It was the perfect ending to an imperfect evening and as Aubrey offered her hand to Chloe, there was no way that she could say no.

And under the crack of moonlight that streamed through the blinds, shining on the girls as they were lost in their perfect world without judgment or parents, they had one perfect dance. The way that prom was supposed to be, in a tiny bedroom with boy band posters on the wall and teddy bears on a bed. A moment just for them.

And Aubrey didn't forget to dip her at the end of the song. Kissing her lips and whispering "I love you" as static filled the air.

And everything was okay.


	2. At Least I'm Not As Sad

**A/N: I own nothing. The title for this collection comes from the song by Sara Bareilles and this chapter's title is courtesy of Fun. Enjoy!**

* * *

_I am not scared of the elements_  
_I am underprepared, but I am willing_  
_And even better_  
_I get to be the other half of you_

_I Choose You- Sara Bareilles_

* * *

**Theme Two: Coming Out**

**Title: At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)**

* * *

Coming out wasn't something that either Aubrey or Chloe felt needed to be a big deal. In fact, it wasn't something that was even officially announced between the two of them when they were paired up as roommates during their freshman year. Chloe had made an offhanded remark about how beautiful one of the girls in their freshman lit class was and when Aubrey meekly agreed, they shared a momentary glance and that was really all that needed to be said. And soon, the conversation turned to something completely different and it was never brought up again.

They had a mutual understanding and Chloe was kind of glad for that. She had never been one to put a label on her sexuality and she was content to flit from girl to guy to both at once whenever the urge or the need struck her. She had known from an early age that she definitely wasn't straight, but also that she enjoyed boys and kind of fell in the middle. Her first kiss was with Jenny Waters at Girl Scout camp and her first time was with Jenny's older brother Brian after junior prom. During her high school years, she kept her personal life secretive from her parents and never brought a boy or girl home. She never felt like it was something that was really any of their business and they respected her privacy enough to just let it go. And when she came out the summer after her freshman year of college and told them about her girlfriend/roommate, none of them were all that surprised. It was a nice situation.

On the other hand, Aubrey was much more secretive than Chloe was and had kept her feelings to herself for most to her life. In fact, she pretty much divided her life into Pre-Barden and Post-Barden. Pre-Barden Aubrey was obedient, the perfect child and a stellar student. She kept her nose in her books and her mind off of romance and she got through it all just fine. She **knew **that she had feelings, particularly the fluttering in her stomach when the pretty girl from her grade sang in the choir at church on Sundays, but they weren't the kind of thing that she could just realize with a father like her own. Instead, she ignored the attention given to her from boys in her class and was labeled a prude and stuck-up, but that was better than the opposite. She could never lie to herself and she certainly couldn't bring anyone home, so she settled on living a relatively solitary life. All of that changed when she enrolled at Barden University.

Post-Barden times were pretty damn good. They were Friday night parties at the frat house with Chloe and singing her heart out at Bellas practices. Filling her electives with ballet and music classes and spending carefree nights with her roommate, talking about anything they could possibly think of. The topics ranged from boys they liked and girls they wanted to kiss, their thoughts on sex and what they wanted for the future. Aubrey found herself opening up for the first time in her life and while she wasn't confident enough to vocalize her feelings, it was **pretty** amazing when Chloe's hand would find hers when they were out in public or the way that she would sling her arm around her back during a walk back to campus. The way her lips seemed to fit perfectly against hers and the thumping in her chest as something _finally_ felt right.

And when she came out to her parents a week after Chloe and faced the tears of her mother and disdain from her father, that girl was idling outside of her house in her rusty old Mustang and was ready to whisk her away for the summer. And all it took was Aubrey sliding into the passenger seat with a suit case and a smile to bind them together for the rest of their time at Barden. Chloe quit searching for cute boys with bright eyes or girls whose mouths tasted like a brewery on Saturday nights and instead settled for the embrace of her best friend. And Aubrey…finally felt at peace at Barden and more at home than she ever could have imagined.

And while they both had been keen to keep their relationship to themselves, declaring it too delicate and dear to their hearts to be anyone else's business, there was no privacy once you were a Bella. And so, Aubrey and Chloe found themselves being pulled of the "closet" by each of their groupmates over and over, smirking as they would reveal their discovery in whispers and smiles, each thinking that they had uncovered some deep hidden truth.

It had almost become a game by the time junior year passed them by, but as they started a fresh year with eight spots to fill, they both wanted to keep their private lives as such. It was no one's business but their own and they were intent to keep Bellas separate from their bedroom.

The other girls didn't get that memo.

* * *

If you thought that Fat Amy would be the first to uncover their secret, you would be wrong. And while they had assured the buxom blonde that in fact she _had _been the first to know (to prevent whining and a witch hunt, of course), the distinction went to a very quiet, but studious Lilly Onakurama.

It had happened on a Wednesday night group dinner shortly after they had been declared Bellas. It was a tradition stemming back to their freshman year and they had been pleased to dip into their car wash profits from last spring to treat the girls to a free evening of bonding and burgers. And while the girls had divided into their natural groupings at the tiny tables, Chloe had guided Aubrey into a booth with Lilly, who had been deemed too odd to share a meal with. It wasn't that the girl minded much, she found them equally odd to be honest, but it was kinda nice to sit there and listen to the girls converse about classes and music while occasionally joining in with barely heard whispers of agreement or opinion.

That was all well and good until dessert arrived and when their waitress stood at the head of the table and asked the trio what they wanted to eat, Chloe couldn't help herself from ordering for the two of them. Chocolate cream pie and a hot chocolate had been their weekly tradition since their beginning days at Barden and Aubrey simply blushed and nodded along in agreement as the waitress gave them a tiny smile and moved along to Lilly. And when their food arrived, Chloe couldn't help herself again from stealing the whipped topping from Aubrey's pie and giggling as Aubrey shoved her and feigned affront to such a terrible attack on her dessert. And as she became wrapped up in their antics as well, Lily couldn't stop herself from blurting out in a tiny voice the six words that nearly resulted in Aubrey leaping across the table and slapping a hand over her mouth.

"You guys are really cute together."

Both girls froze, suddenly able to hear the whispering Asian as clear as a bell. And as Aubrey fidgeted with her napkin and shifted away from Chloe in the booth, Lilly knew that she had been out of bounds. She started to apologize, but Chloe simply shook her head and in sweet words told her that it was okay.

"Thank you for the compliment, Lilly." Chloe smiled and looked over at Aubrey, running a hand on her thigh soothingly as she closed her eyes and seethed. "We're not really open with our relationship though, so would it be cool with you to keep this just between the three of us?"

And Lilly simply nodded and whispered 'yes' in a tone that wasn't convincing enough for Aubrey. And so the girl was threatened into the silence and their secret was safe for a little while longer after a very creative and dangerous threat was issued by the feared leader of the Bellas.

"If you tell anyone, we won't need the wolves to rip out your vocal chords. I'll do it myself with my bare hands."

* * *

Fat Amy was the fourth Bella to find them out, revealing their secret just days after Ashley and Jessica had caught them kissing behind the bleachers after a long rehearsal. And while both girls had been threatened in kind to Lilly, Aubrey and Chloe couldn't help but smirk as they realized that it was happening all over again. It wouldn't be long until quizzical looks turned into knowing glances between whispered comments and cat-calls from the rowdy. It would turn into the same dynamic that had become almost comforting back in their younger days of a cappella, and so when Amy revealed her truth with a sly flourish, Aubrey found herself unable to muster much anger.

It had happened at a party held at the outdoor theatre by the High Notes. They were celebrating Christina's, the captain of the group, birthday and all had been invited for a night of debauchery. Aubrey had initially wanted to stay in bed with her tax law homework and a cheesy movie, but Chloe had insisted that she get her ass out of bed and come with her. It wouldn't look good to the other Bellas if their leader didn't show up and it was nice to let loose every once in a while.

And so, Aubrey agreed after some pushing and pulled on the dress that she knew drove Chloe crazy as they trekked across campus in the warm autumn air. The party was hopping, with the music pounding in the night and all of their fellow aca-people enjoying themselves on the makeshift dance floor with raunchy dance moves and cups overflowing with cheap spike punch and beer. They mingled for a little while, dancing to the music (but never together) and talking to the other girls until Chloe spotted her favorite pet project and practically bolted away from her to join the little alt-girl for what was sure to be a scintillating conversation. Aubrey couldn't quite understand what her girlfriend saw in that girl, but any attempts to talk about it led to bickering and separate beds. She was sure that there was nothing going on between the two, Chloe would **never** cheat on her, but she didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Are you okay?" A loud and unmistakable voice announced from behind her, holding out a bottle of beer and giving her a cheeky smile. "From the looks of it, you want to rip Beca's head off. That's not Bella behavior, Aubrey."

"I'm fine", Aubrey spat out while yanking the top off of the beer and raising it to her lips, taking a long drink of the bitter liquid before shaking her head and averting her eyes from the chortling pair across the theatre. "So what if she's completely against everything that I say at practices or that she tries to pit you guys against me. I'm fine, more than fine in fact. I'm having the time of my life. She's just flirting with her, which is totally something that a girlfr-"

She froze, her eyes growing wide as she cupped a hand over her mouth and tried to force the words back into her mouth with no avail. _Shit._

"And then there were three!" Amy announced, while pumping one fist and clasping Aubrey's arm with the other. "Is there something in the water here? I need to watch before you lot try to turn me as well."

"Amy, it's not what you-"

"Relax, Aubrey, I've had my suspicions for a while. We all did. You should try to hide your toner a little bit better", Amy teased while throwing an arm around her back and squeezing her shoulder. "Just ignore her. They're just friends and besides, angry sex is by far the best kind of sex. Second only to make-up sex, but they're both pretty great. Go get 'er tiger."

And so Amy teetered away into the night, chortling and grinning to herself as she looked around the crowded area for the perfect guy to take back to her dorm. And Aubrey stood alone, shocked and blushing as she lifted the beer to her lips and chugged the rest of the amber liquid.

It was going to be a long year.

* * *

Denise was next to find them out, smirking as she came up to them mid-embrace in their secret spot on campus right before winter break and congratulating them on their adorableness. Neither girl had much of a reaction and simply smiled back at her as she grinned and skipped down the hill and to the freshman dorms in the wooded part of campus.

And then for a while, it was idle. They didn't try to hide it, but they weren't exactly open either. While they would occasionally hold hands or sneak a kiss before practice, they weren't all over each other and it was nice. They had suspected that the gossip had made its way around the group and that it was all old hat. It wouldn't have been surprising to either of them, considering how much Amy loved to gossip. But apparently, they had misjudged the girls because there were still members of the group that were completely in the dark to their obvious affair.

It was Valentine's Day and the very lonely and single Cynthia Rose and Stacie begged Chloe to venture into Atlanta with them to go clubbing. Neither of them had a car and while they had their suspicions of Chloe's status with certain other members of the Bellas, all of that was ignored when Chloe simply nodded and agreed to pick them up later that evening. Aubrey wasn't one for cheesy holidays and had insisted that Chloe join them, to keep them out of trouble before regionals and to make sure that no guys (or girls) took advantage of them. And so, Chloe slid the tight red dress on over her body and kissed Aubrey on the cheek before climbing into her newer, but just as rusty and dirty, Mustang and driving her fellow Bellas into town for an evening of drinking and dancing.

At first being the designated driver had seemed like a massive drag, but soon Chloe found that watching the pair was just as fun as getting wasted and dancing with some random dude (but never a chick). Drunk Stacie was just as bouncy and promiscuous, but far more touchy and Chloe found her own face burning as the girl wrapped her arms around an older man and let her hands grasp his butt and yank him a little closer. She flitted from man to man, making friends with perfect strangers for a dance and a drink before dumping them for the next cute victim of Ms. Conrad's good looks and smile.

Cynthia Rose, on the other hand, was a much chiller drunk and Chloe found herself only occasionally checking on the girl who could clearly take care of herself if needed. She had found a group of young women in clothing similar to her own and had joined their group easily, laughing and joking with them while slamming back shots like they were old friends. While Chloe briefly pondered if lesbians had a secret bat signal or something that had drawn Cynthia in, she couldn't think about it any further when she spotted Stacie falling into the lap of a very sleazy looking gentleman.

As she hauled the girl out of his booth and into a corner, a young man approached them with a bottle of water and offered it to them. Chloe gave him a small smile and thanked him with a nod before twisting off the lid and helping Stacie gulp down some of the water. Once she got some of the liquid into her body, Chloe propped her up against the wall and put the bottle in her purse before turning her attention back to the smiling young man.

"Thank you for the water. She's a mess tonight." She sighed and held out her hand, shaking his and grinning as he nodded in agreement. "She's going to have a hell of a hangover in the morning, but that's what you get for going partying on Valentine's Day. I'm Chloe. What do I owe you for the water?"

"I'm Josh and you don't owe me anything. That guy back there is my older brother and I'm kind of glad that you rescued her. He's not the nicest of guys when he's had a few to drink. So, what's a pretty girl like you doing out here alone on a night like this?"

"I'm just here for my friends, you know? To keep an eye on them and make sure that they don't do anything stupid. What about yourself?"

"I'm very single and this is the kind of place where the single come on the most romantic day of the year." He smiled and placed a hand on her arm, squeezing it gently and causing Chloe to take a step back. "Would you like to dance with me? The selection isn't too great, but there's some stuff on the juke box that we could dance to. What do you say?"

"That's really sweet, but I have to say no. I have a girlfriend and she's the only person that I'll be dancing with tonight."

"That's cute", he replied while shaking his head in disbelief. _There was no way that a girl like this was dating another chick. _"What will one dance hurt? Besides, it's not like she's here to see you do it. Come on…"

"I told you no. Thank you for the water, but I'm not interested."

He shook his head, his attitude suddenly flipping as the girl blatantly rejected him. He didn't believe her dumb excuse for a second and there was no way that he was going to take this kind of disrespect in front of his brother and friends. No one said no to him.

"I wasn't **asking** you, Red. Now come on, leave your little friend for a few minutes and help me make my buddies jealous."

"I told you-"

"-Get your ass on that floor right now before I-"

Cynthia Rose's fist collided with the side of his face and he toppled to ground, holding his cheek and howling with pain as everyone in the bar turned to look at the group. Chloe's jaw dropped open and before she could say a word, Cynthia grabbed her arm and wrapped her free arm around Stacie's back before pushing the pair out of the bar and away from the idiot on the floor.

"I can't believe that you hit some guy, Cynthia!" Chloe exclaimed as they reached the parking lot and panted as the cool air filled her lungs that were aching from the sprint out of the club. "You could get in real trouble if he calls the police."

"I can't believe that you have a girlfriend and didn't bother to tell me!We're playing for the same team, girl. We have to have each other's backs."

"She's hooking up with Aubrey", Stacie mumbled before dropping to her knees and puking all over the side of Chloe's car. "I saw them making out once after practice. Aubrey was sitting on the piano and Chloe was on top of her and oh God…" She couldn't continue any longer, lurching and spilling the contents of her stomach all over the ground and her dress.

And as Cynthia Rose raised her hand for a high five and started to congratulate her for hooking up with someone so hot, Chloe simply shook her head and begged for the evening to end. She was never going out with those two idiots again.

* * *

The last to find out was Beca and honestly, Aubrey wasn't all that surprised. She clearly wasn't the brightest bulb in the box and she figured that something like this would take forever for her to figure out. She just didn't think that it would take until the end of the semester, after a huge puke filled fight in the auditorium and a heart to heart with all of the Bellas. No, she gave Beca a little more credit than that, which had been a mistake.

The realization didn't hit Beca until they had left the auditorium and headed for the pool. Chloe had still been upset and as she whimpered and tried to hold back her tears, Aubrey couldn't stop herself from ignoring their secret pact to keep their relationship private and held her close. She placed soothing kisses on the top of her head and whispered apologies as the group walked down to the pool in silence. No one paid them any attention and for once, Aubrey was kind of glad that they all knew.

That was until she caught Beca watching them and felt the familiar ache in her stomach come back. The girl was pale and almost looked betrayed as she watched her crush cling to her worst enemy. Aubrey bit her lip as Beca's eyes grew wide and her cheeks reddened as she realized that she had been caught watching them. And for the first time in months, Aubrey actually felt a little bad for the girl. _What the hell was happening to her?_

They started the song and Chloe sounded as clear as a bell, filling up the acoustics of the pool with her sweet voice as the rest of the group harmonized around her. But just as soon as she got comfortable, Beca's voice cut through the melody and Aubrey felt her pulse quicken as she listened to the words that were spilling from her lips. She was giving Chloe away, backing away and letting them be free. Ignoring her own crush and realizing that it was just a dream, that she wouldn't get between them or cause them any trouble any longer.

It was everything that Aubrey had wanted to hear after months of jealously and she could barely stop her face from breaking into a grin as she joined Beca in her song, matching her pitch and word for word as they made an amazing mash-up. And in between the moments of concentrating on the not entirely familiar song, she shared long lingering glances and brief smiles with Chloe as their voices swirled and filled the air with beauty.

They were going to be okay. Nothing would get between them.

* * *

And so, coming out to all of their friends hadn't been at the top of their lists of things to do at the start of the semester, but it was surely worth it. It was worth the needling and the cat calls and knowing glances from their friends when they kissed on the walk out of the pool. It was nice when they called them cute and teased them the entire plane ride to New York, even after Chloe flipped them off and leaned a little closer to her as they soared over the east coast.

It was actually pretty great. And as Beca climbed off of the stage and settled for the sweet boy with the nicest smile and caring eyes, Aubrey tugged Chloe a little closer and kissed her for the entire audience to see. Dipping her and threading her fingers through her long red locks as everyone slowly adverted their eyes from the spectacle in the crowd to the show going on in the corner of the stage.

And as Amy hooted and Cynthia screamed 'Get it girl!', Aubrey simply smiled and looked down into those eyes and felt more at home than ever.

Coming out wasn't so bad after all, even if it had to happen in front of the entire crowd at Lincoln Center.


	3. Kiss With A Fist

**A/N: I still own nothing, sadly. This chapter's title is courtesy of the Florence + The Machine Song. Enjoy!**

* * *

_I am not scared of the elements_  
_I am underprepared, but I am willing_  
_And even better_  
_I get to be the other half of you_

_I Choose You- Sara Bareilles_

* * *

**Theme Three: Comfort**

**Title: Kiss With A Fist**

* * *

"Chloe! Have you seen my blazer?" Aubrey yelled from the living room of their shared apartment. She was running late for work and Chloe was being no help at all as she hid out in their bedroom. It was mornings like these that made her hate that her girlfriend was a teacher. While it was nice that she was giving back to kids and doing a job that she truly admired her for, it sucked that they had to be away from each other all day. Chloe got to spend her morning snoozing in bed, while she had to brave traffic as she commuted into the city for the early morning meetings that her father thought were a necessity for running his law firm smoothly.

"Chloe!" Aubrey hollered again while overturning a hamper that was full of neatly washed and folded clothing. As she dug through the clothes and looked for her favorite black blazer, she swore that she heard Chloe giggling from their bedroom and shook her head. This could **not **be happening again, especially when she was running this late. "I thought that I asked you to put the clothes away last night after I washed them. What did you do with it?"

"I haven't seen it!" Chloe called out in a teasing voice that simultaneously made Aubrey flush with anger and smirk with delight. "Maybe you should come in here and look. I think I might have brought it in here last night, but I really can't remember…"

She trailed off as her voice dropped an octave into a seductive slur and Aubrey dropped the hamper again, letting the clothing that she had just placed carefully inside spill back onto the floor. There was no way that she was letting **that** go.

She could be _a little_ late.

* * *

"Okay, Chloe, where is it at?" Aubrey asked as she stood in the doorway, her hand on her hip as she tried her best to look displeased. Chloe could see right through her front though, smirking and trying not to laugh as she scooted further underneath their fluffy purple comforter and feigned a yawn.

"Are you serious?" Aubrey pouted while taking a few steps into the room and trying to ignore the little laugh that had escaped from underneath the heavy fabric. "You know how good that looks with this shirt and I have a very important meeting today that my father set up with a big client. I have to look impressive. Now, hand it over."

She held out her hand and Chloe just smiled, pulling the comforter down and revealing that she was wearing the tiny tank top and shorts that drove Aubrey crazy. She had changed into them while Aubrey had been in the shower and now, there was no denying that she kind of wanted to slide out of her pressed black pants and straight into the bed with her.

_Pull it together, Aubrey. You know how important this meeting is. Don't look at her shoulders or her legs or that little peak of tummy that was exposed because her shirt had been pushed up a little-_

"Are you talking about _**this**_ blazer?" Chloe smirked as she reached under her pillow and pulled out the carefully folded jacket. As Aubrey's mouth dropped open and she tried to warn her not to wrinkle it, Chloe flashed her a tiny smile and squeezed the fabric into a ball before stuffing it under her shirt and diving back under the comforter.

And from the squeak of frustration and the sound of high heels tapping against the hard wood floors, Chloe knew that she was dead. And she didn't mind at all.

* * *

"Give it back, Chloe!" Aubrey yelled as she tugged at Chloe's tank top and fought with her hands as they wrestled on the bed. She didn't care that she was wrinkling her pants or that her nice collared shirt had untucked at the waist, she **needed** that jacket. Even if she was already running fifteen minutes late.

"Please. I'll do anything you want."

"Anything?" Chloe replied as she quit fidgeting and smiled back at her fuming girlfriend. "Hmm, that's _kind _of tempting. What if I asked you to take next Friday off so we can go on a road trip? We could drive to Nashville and spend the weekend there. I've always wanted to see it and it's not even that far away. Plus, it's the last free Friday that I have before school starts back up. Please?"

"Will you give me my jacket back?" When Chloe nodded and pulled the jacket out from underneath her shirt, Aubrey grinned and said "Sure. I'll request it off today. Now, if you'll excuse me, some of us have to work today and I have to de-wrinkle myself so my father doesn't have a stroke."

Chloe just shook her head and tried not to laugh as Aubrey climbed out of the bed and muttered to herself while running her hands over the crumpled fabric. When she was finally content with the way that it looked, she tucked her shirt back into her pants and slid it back on before grabbing her briefcase and leaving the apartment.

And minutes later, just as Chloe had planned, the door opened again and Aubrey stomped back into the apartment and straight for their bedroom.

"Chloe! What did you do with my car keys?!"

It was time for round two.

* * *

"Do you mean these keys?" Chloe teased as she slid the metallic ring from the pocket of her shorts and gently shook it back and forth. "You know Bree, it would just be easier if you agreed to stay home with me. I could make it **very** worth it."

"Chloe, you know that I can't. My dad would have a fit and I can't miss this meeting."

"Not even for me?"

"You know that I love you and that I want nothing more than to cuddle with you, but I have to go to work. Please, just give me the keys."

"Nope!" Chloe announced before bounding from the bed and running past Aubrey, shoving the keys into her pocket and daring her girlfriend to chase her around the apartment. And sure, she knew that it was childish and that Aubrey needed to get to work, but it was fun to just play around with her. She hated that Aubrey worked so hard and maybe, just maybe, she needed to just ignore her father every once in a while and spend the day with her. Surely talk shows and breakfast in bed were nicer than depositions and boring meetings.

And just like she expected, Aubrey simply stood pat in the doorway to their bedroom and just shook her head at the antics of her immature girlfriend. There was no way that she was chasing her twenty-five year old girlfriend around their apartment, especially in her cute heels. She was content with Chloe tiring herself out and giving up, passing her the keys and kissing her cheek while wishing her a nice day. It was typical and expected, and also kind of cute, but she didn't have time for this today. She needed to get to work.

And so, as Chloe rounded the coffee table and headed for the kitchen, Aubrey simply sighed and started to dig through Chloe's purse that was sitting on the dresser. If Chloe wasn't going to give her the keys, she was just going to have to take Chloe's baby and that wouldn't fly. Chloe loved her little sports car with a passion that was usually just reserved for their bedroom and the thought of Aubrey and her history of shaky driving taking it would be enough to loosen the keys from her fist and to send Aubrey on her way into the city.

Chloe was good, but Aubrey was better and as she grabbed the keys and held them up, Chloe froze in her steps and let her mouth drop open as her girlfriend headed straight for the front door. And as Aubrey's hand reached for the knob and Chloe started to lunge forward, the next few moments seemed to be in slow motion. Her fingers brushed against the cool metal and she smirked as she heard Chloe cry out in protest and push forward, rounding the island in the kitchen as she picked the fastest route to reach her girlfriend. As her hand closed around the knob and twisted, Chloe picked up her pace and skidded on the smooth linoleum tiles, her sock clad feet sliding against the freshly waxed floor and upending her into a mess of limbs and whimpers as she struck her head against a cabinet and collapsed onto her knees.

"Chloe? Are you okay?" Aubrey gasped as she turned around and watched the scene in shock. And as Chloe raised her head and grasped at her throbbing nose in shock, Aubrey got all the answer she needed as Chloe simply groaned and whined in response.

"Ow!"

She was **definitely** going to be late for work.

* * *

"What hurts?" Aubrey asked as she got down on her knees and slowly guided Chloe into a sitting position. Nothing appeared to be broken, but from the way that Chloe was whimpering and moving slowly, Aubrey figured that she was in a good amount of pain. "Do we need to go to the hospital?"

"I think I'm okay", Chloe mumbled from behind her hands that were pressed to her nose and covering her mouth. "I have a headache though. What happened? It's all kind of fuzzy."

"Well", Aubrey began while brushing Chloe's hair out of her eyes and rubbing her back, "you hit your head when you slipped and fell down. Are you sure that you feel okay? I can stay home if you need me to."

"It's okay", Chloe replied while sitting up a little straighter and slowly removing her hands from her aching face. When she saw the blood that coated them though and realized that it was coming from her, the room suddenly started to spin and she couldn't stop herself from closing her eyes and slumping forward into Aubrey's arms.

* * *

"Is she okay?!" Aubrey pled with the nurse as she helped Chloe sit down on the wheelchair and started to push her back to an examining room. "She was bleeding all over the place and she passed out and I got her in the car and-"

"-Ma'am, please calm down. Let me take her back to get checked out before-"

"-Is she going to be okay?!" Aubrey practically shouted as the nurse slowed down and raised an eyebrow at her. Chloe looked up at her in surprise too and if she wasn't busy bleeding all over her hands and her favorite night shirt, she would have stood up and hugged her visibly upset and shaking girlfriend.

"Ma'am, shouting is not going to make this any easier. Since you're so upset, I'm going to ask that you please wait out in the waiting room while we take a look at her. I'll send someone out as soon as we get _any_ news."

"But-"

"Aubrey, I'll be okay", Chloe soothed her while looking up and trying to flash her a smile despite the throbbing in her nose and head. "Go and grab a coffee and relax for a little while. Maybe you could try to get some of that blood out of your shirt too."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow before looking down at her white dress shirt and freezing when she saw the stains and wrinkles that had come from practically carrying Chloe down to the car. She nearly gagged as the nausea washed over her and if it wasn't for the nurse having the sense to guide her down onto a nearby chair, she was pretty sure that she would have passed out as well. She just…she hated imagining Chloe in pain and seeing her slumped over like that, even if it had only been for a few moments, shook her.

"Please just make sure that she's okay", Aubrey whispered to the nurse who was watching her carefully to make sure that she wasn't going to blackout as well. "I love her and if she's hurt…"

"I'll make sure that we take good care of her. Now, try to relax and we'll be back in a bit. I'm sure that it's not bad at all."

* * *

"Please don't laugh", Chloe begged as the nurse brought Aubrey into the examining room a little while later. "It's not funny."

"What are you talking about?" Aubrey asked while quirking an eyebrow. The only thing she had been told was that Chloe had very minor injuries and could go home as soon as the doctor wrote her a prescription.

Chloe sighed and slowly removed the ice pack from her face, scowling as Aubrey laughed sharply before covering her mouth and trying her hardest not to chuckle at her poor girlfriend. Her nose was swollen and misshapen, obviously broken and bruised from her fall. The bruising had extended into her eyes and she looked like she had gone five rounds in a boxing match, which was decidedly more interesting than tangling with a cupboard full of _Tupperware_.

"I start back at school in two weeks", Chloe whined while Aubrey smiled at her and reached out for her hand. "I'm going to scare away all of the kids when they walk in my class. And what about the yearbook?!" Chloe clapped her hands together, whining as she imagined just how big of a train wreck she would look in the picture. "Oh, God, this is going to be a nightmare."

"It's not too bad", Aubrey soothed while squeezing her hand. "It won't last forever and besides, we'll be able to look at that picture for the rest of our lives and be reminded of the time when you tried to outsmart me. That doesn't sound bad at all."

"I hate you."

* * *

"Why can't I watch the movie with you?!" Chloe protested as Aubrey guided her girlfriend from the living room to the darkened bedroom. "You know how much I love Ryan Gosling and there's no room left on the DVR. I'm going to miss it!"

"The doctor said that you have to give your brain some rest for a little while." Aubrey tried to placate her as she eased her onto the bed and piled some pillows up so she could rest in an upright position. "Don't blame me, blame the cabinet. **I** didn't give you the concussion. Now, close your eyes for a little while and get some rest. I'll tell you what happens."

"But Bree-"

"No buts", Aubrey cut her off while tucking the blankets underneath her chin and kissing the top of her head. "**You** need to rest. Call me if you need anything."

Chloe pouted, but didn't protest any further and simply nodded in agreement as Aubrey slid the door shut behind her and settled down in front of the television to watch the movie. It wasn't anything that she was interested in and it would have been much nicer if Chloe was laying on the couch next to her, but she knew that she needed to let her rest and that Chloe would definitely want to take things further than just hugging and watching the dumb movie. She **knew** Chloe and she was far better off to just stay away from her for a little while. Chloe wasn't having it though and within moments of the opening credits appearing on the screen and Aubrey finally finding the comfortable spot on the couch, Chloe called out for her girlfriend.

"Bree! Can you get me some more ice? My ice pack isn't cold anymore and my nose is throbbing. Please?"

She had created a monster.

* * *

One filled ice pack, two glasses of water, and a heaping bowl of ice cream later, Aubrey finally admitted to herself that there was no way that she was going to be able to finish the movie without Chloe interrupting her. And sure, Ryan Gosling's abs were pretty fantastic and she was _kind of_ interested in whether Steve Carell's character would get back with his wife, but Chloe was far more important than any movie could possibly be. So, she flipped off the TV and slid out of her fancy clothes and into her pajamas before entering the darkened bedroom and climbing into the bed next to Chloe.

She propped herself up on the mountain of pillows that were behind Chloe and opened up her arms, sighing as Chloe slowly sat up a little and leaned against her body heavily. Her breath was warm against Aubrey's neck and as she rubbed Chloe's bare arms, she decided that despite the trip to the emergency room and all of the worry, it had all been _kind of_ worth it. And sure, she would be screamed at by her father tomorrow for skipping out on the meeting and Chloe would look like a walking bruise for a few days, but it wasn't all bad. She was holding her favorite person in the world and they were together and had the rest of the afternoon and evening to just relax.

"Why did you turn off the movie?" Chloe whispered against Aubrey's neck as she fought through the sleep and pain medication that was threatening to knock her out. "Didn't you like it?"

"I liked it just fine", Aubrey murmured while absentmindedly placing her hand on Chloe's stomach and rubbing tiny circles with her fingers as Chloe slowly exhaled and relaxed. "_Someone _couldn't stop bugging me though and I got tired to missing half of the storylines just to bring you stuff. So, I turned it off and decided to hop into bed with you."

"I'm better than any movie", Chloe boasted while blinking her heavy eyes and tapping her fingers against Aubrey's chin. "You just wanted to spend time with me. I know you…"

"Close your eyes, Chlo. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Do you promise?" Her voice was barely audible and as she blinked her eyes languidly and tried to stop herself from falling asleep, Aubrey just held her a little tighter and let her free hand play with her hair and rub her head.

And as Chloe slowly drifted off to sleep, Aubrey made the only promise that she knew she would never break.

"I'll never leave you."


	4. As Fluffy As A Marshmallow

**A/N: I still own nothing. Enjoy!**

* * *

_I am not scared of the elements_  
_I am underprepared, but I am willing_  
_And even better_  
_I get to be the other half of you_

_I Choose You- Sara Bareilles_

* * *

**Theme Four: Kids**

**Title: As Fluffy As A Marshmallow**

* * *

It wasn't that Aubrey Posen didn't like children. In fact, in the right instances, she found them kind of cute. Such as, if there was a sarcastic one on television, she would usually crack a wry smile and roll her eyes while trying not to laugh. And last week, when she and Chloe were walking back from a late dinner in Brooklyn, they had passed a gaggle of little girls leaving a dance class in their frilly ballet outfits and even she had to admit that they looked pretty adorable. She had just never been around them enough to really appreciate their…quirks. Being an only child had been a lovely experience growing up, but it had ill-prepared her for how to deal with children. Or really, how to handle most of her peers. She was mature beyond her years and while her classmates would talk about the exciting episode of _Rugrats_ that had aired the night before, Aubrey would have been thrilled to just find someone who could play Chopsticks as well as she could. And so, Aubrey Posen had been raised with a natural hesitance to the idea of being around a child.

She just couldn't say no to Chloe. It had all started on a quiet Tuesday night in their little apartment, when Aubrey was plating the lasagna that she had spent hours making and the phone started to ring. She nearly dropped the piping hot metal pan as Chloe's annoying ringtone surprised her and glared at her when she ran out of their bedroom after ten cycles of the awful pop song, holding her freshly painted nails out in front of her and smilingly apologetically before taking the phone with her back to their room. Aubrey could hear Chloe's sweet voice ringing and rising in pitch through the closed door and just shook her head, knowing that their dinner was going to be spoiled before they even got to eat it. From their years of dating, she knew that Chloe only reserved that ringtone for her parents and any conversation with her mother was never a good one. The last time that they had spoken, they had been talked into dog sitting the Beales' elderly dog Barney for two weeks while the pair vacationed in the Bahamas. Now that Barney was long gone however, she could only begin to imagine what task would be asked of them this time.

She got her answer when Chloe slumped out of the bedroom a half hour later, her shoulders slouched and a tiny frown playing on her lips as she sunk down at the table and picked at her food. Aubrey watched her for a few moments, smirking as she broke apart the cold layers of noodles and sauce, before having enough of it and extending her hand to her girlfriend to hold. Sometimes Chloe could be just like a kid and while Aubrey wasn't good with **them**, she considered herself _kind of _an expert on her favorite Beale.

"What did she want this time, Chloe? I know that look when I see it…"

"They're taking a trip up to Maine to see my grandparents this weekend."

"That's nice", Aubrey replied while taking a sip from her wine and smiling a little to herself. Maine was far enough away from the city that they wouldn't be seeing much of them if they passed through. "So, what does that have to do with us? Did they get another dog or something?"

"Not exactly", Chloe murmured before sliding a forkful of dinner into her mouth and grimacing at the emulsified oil that coated the dish from sitting for so long. "She, um…she wants us to babysit Charlotte."

"No."

"But Aubrey!" Chloe exclaimed while dropping her fork onto the plate with a loud clank. "She's my little sister. We can't just leave her out in the cold while they go on their little trip. It'll be fun."

"Actually, that sound like a good idea. She's six years old, Chloe. What six year old is fun?" When Chloe couldn't come up with an answer, Aubrey simply nodded and said "That's what I thought. This apartment is barely big enough for the two of us and if she's anything like you, she's going to bring five suitcases and all of her toys. The answer is no."

"Actually it's not."

Aubrey looked up from her salad and frowned when she saw Chloe smirking and raising her goblet of white wine to her lips with a satisfied sigh.

"What does that mean?" Aubrey asked while pushing her food away, suddenly finding that her appetite had completely disappeared.

"I already said yes. She'll be here Friday evening."

* * *

And the next three days seemed to practically fly by until Friday evening arrived and Aubrey found herself pacing the tiny kitchenette of their apartment. Chloe had headed off to the airport immediately after school ended and since it was nearly seven at night, they were due in at any moment. She had never met Chloe's sister before, but had been roommates with Chloe when Charlotte was born and had heard countless stories over the years about something silly or cute that the little girl had done over weekend visits and holiday breaks. Aubrey knew that Chloe felt that she had kind of missed out on the whole sister experience and while she hated the idea of having a tiny guest sharing her space for two days, she couldn't really blame Chloe for saying yes.

Aubrey had just pulled dinner (Chloe's favorite, of course) out of the oven, when the door opened and Chloe hopped inside with her arms full with two suitcases. Aubrey grimaced for a moment, but felt herself melt a little when she saw the adorable Hello Kitty pattern on the bags and couldn't stop herself from smiling. Her smile only grew when moments later, a tow-headed girl walked into the room with her face buried in a _Berenstain Bear's_ book and a large teddy bear tucked under her arm. She nearly walked into the television set as she focused on the words and pictures and Aubrey gasped before Chloe reached out and stopped the girl with a gentle hand on her arm.

"Aubrey", Chloe began while gently removing the book from her sister and turning her to face the kitchen, "this is my little sister Charlotte. Charlotte, this is my girlfriend Aubrey. Why don't you two get to know each other while I go and make up the spare bedroom?"

The question fell on deaf ears for a moment as both blondes stared at each other and scowled, but Chloe didn't feel like getting between the two after sitting in traffic with the tiny girl for nearly an hour and hearing one hundred stories about her classmates. And so, she simply guided Charlotte towards a stool at the bar in their kitchen and grabbed the bag, leaving the two girls to get to know each other as she fixed up the spare room/office.

"What book are you reading?" Aubrey asked as she looked down at the girl and spooned some of the meal onto a plate. "My favorite was always _The Berenstain Bears' and Too Much Junk Food_. Have you read that one? I didn't know that they still made those books."

"What did you make?" The girl asked while scrunching up her nose and opening up her book again, finding Aubrey's question unimportant as compared to the tales of four talking and walking bears. "It smells funny."

"Chicken piccata, it's Chloe's favorite. It has chicken and artichokes and capers in it and it's really good. Do you want some?"

Charlotte simply shook her head and frowned as she looked back down at her book and read quietly. Aubrey frowned, getting the distinct impression that the girl was ignoring her, and simply took her plate and sat down at the table in the corner of the kitchen. If she didn't want to eat, that was fine with her. Her father never forced her to eat when she was a kid and she had grown up just fine. If she didn't want to even try her delicious supper, that was perfectly fine with her. That just meant that there would be more for her and that was okay in her book.

"Chloe!" Charlotte called out as Aubrey started to dig into her meal and stopped, lowering her fork as she looked up at the frowning girl. "Do you have anything to eat that doesn't smell funny? Can we get pizza?"

Chloe stepped out of the spare bedroom and nodded while placing a pair of pajamas on the back of the couch for Charlotte to change into later. She pulled her wallet out of her purse and gave Aubrey a small smile as she wrapped her arm around Charlotte's back and gave her a little hug. From the scowl on Aubrey's face, she knew that she wasn't pleased and Chloe couldn't really blame her. It was weird to have the girl in their apartment for her too and she was related to her.

"Do you want to come with us, Bree? I promised Charlie that I would take her out for real New York pizza. I was going to take her to _Tony's_ down the street. We could get a big pie and split it. Any kind that you like…" She trailed off as Aubrey wrinkled her brow and made a face.

_This wasn't going to be good._

"This is your favorite, Chloe. I thought that you loved chicken piccata."

"I do", Chloe reassured her while raising her eyebrows, "but Charlie doesn't really like the same kind of stuff that we do and I made a promise. Save me a plate for later, okay?"

Aubrey simply nodded and watched as Chloe helped the small girl put on her jacket before heading over towards the front door. Before they could leave though, Chloe froze and softly asked "Are you sure, Bree?"

Aubrey was about to reconsider when she swore that she saw a little smirk appear on Charlotte's face and stopped herself. _Seriously?_ _She was getting picked on by a six year old?_

"No, I'm fine. Have a good time guys!"

And as Chloe grinned and opened the door, pushing her sister out into the chilly hallway of their building, she swore that the girl looked back at her and smiled out of spite.

Game on, little Beale. Game on.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Charlotte asked as she pranced into Aubrey's office and flopped down onto the futon that was still pulled out into a bed from the night before; complete with cute sheets that Chloe had bought on Thursday to make the room feel like home. "Chloe said that I shouldn't bother you since you're working, but I'm bored and she's making lunch and I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the park with us-"

"-It's fifteen degrees out", Aubrey mumbled while flipping through the manila folder and trying to piece together the important facts for her briefing with her colleagues on Monday. "And it's only eleven o'clock. What could we possibly do in the park when it's this cold and early?"

"I dunno", Charlotte shrugged while picking her teddy bear up off of the floor and hugging it close to her pajama-clad body. "Do you guys have any games? At home we have a _Wii_ and a _Leap Frog_ and a computer. Could I use your laptop?!"

"Absolutely not!" Aubrey exclaimed while flipping her folder shut and turning around in her office chair to glare at the small girl. "Don't you have anything better to do? I'm sure that there are cartoons or movies on right now. Ask Chloe to show you how to work the television, I need to concentrate on this."

"What are you working on?" Charlotte asked as she got off of the bed and leaned down into Aubrey's face, peering at the papers that were spread out across the desk and expelling warm breath that smelt like tooth paste and peanut butter straight into Aubrey's face. "Can I help you?"

"Are you a lawyer?"

"No, silly. I'm not even done with the first grade yet! Are you sure that you don't have any games? What do you and Chloe do for fun?"

Aubrey blushed for a moment, her thoughts immediately turning to their frequent bedroom activities, before she quickly shook her head and cleared her mind of all things sexual.

"Um…we read and go to the movies and watch television. Sometimes we even go to the park and ice skate. If I promise to take you later, will you leave me alone and bug Chloe instead? I **really **need to get this done."

"Can we get ice cream too?!"

"Will you leave my office if I say yes?" Aubrey snipped while opening up her legal textbook to read over some jargon from the police report. _I can't believe that I have to bribe a child._

"Yep!"

"Then fine, we can get ice cream after we ice skate. Now, leave me alone."

"Awesome!" Charlotte exclaimed before hugging Aubrey and racing out of the room and to the kitchen, practically squealing with delight as she told Chloe of their plans for the afternoon.

Charlotte 2 – Aubrey 0

* * *

"I thought that you hated ice skating?" Chloe whispered into Aubrey's ear as they crunched through the snow that had accumulated on the sidewalk and headed towards the nearby rink. "The last time that we went, you fell and got a boo-boo on your forehead. Do you remember that?"

Aubrey groaned in response and tugged Chloe a little closer, wrapping her arm around her body and resting her head on her shoulder. She was shivering and the snow was starting to fall again and like an idiot, she had left her scarf and hat back at the apartment. While they had been in New York for two years now, she still hadn't gotten used to the huge difference between the frigid northern winters and the relatively mild ones of her youth.

"Don't start", Aubrey mumbled while kissing her cheek and watching as Charlotte ran to the little booth outside of the rink to rent some skates with the money that had been carefully tucked into her little pink purse before they left. "I can't believe that I had to bribe your little sister just to get her to leave me alone. I also can't believe that she's buying her skates for herself. I was never that confident when I was her age."

"Awe, were you shy?" Chloe teased while slipping out of Aubrey's arm and gripping her hand, jogging with her over to the booth so they could get some skates as well. "I can picture you as a little kid. You probably had glasses and were afraid of your own shadow. It's so cute!"

"I hate you sometimes."

* * *

Aubrey teetered along the edge of the rink, holding onto the wall as she slowly inched forward on the icy surface and begged her body not to fall. She had been good at so many things throughout her life, but there was just something about Aubrey Posen and ice that just didn't work. As Charlotte and Chloe skated past her quickly and giggled as their skates glided easily against the slick ice, Aubrey just scowled and mumbled to herself but managed to stay upright. She **hated** ice skating.

"Come on, Bree!" Chloe exclaimed as she skated towards her and stopped on her skates, spraying her legs and coat with a thin coating of fluffy snow. "Come and skate with us. I'll help you."

"Chloe, I don't think that's a good idea. There are a lot of people here and I'll just stay over here and-"

Before she could continue any further, Charlotte skated up behind her and gave her a firm shove to the back, pushing her forward on the ice and scrambling to grab onto something as her body threatened to topple over. Chloe was at her side a moment later though, grabbing onto her arm and steadying her while flashing Charlotte a warning frown.

"Don't do that again, Charlie! Aubrey could have fallen and gotten really hurt."

"I'm sorry, Chloe", Charlotte whimpered, biting the inside of her mouth as her lip quivered and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident."

Aubrey looked up from Chloe as she slowly stood up from her hunched over position and gave her a nervous glance, wanting nothing more than for Chloe to pacify the girl than to be embarrassed if she started to cry in front of everyone. She may not have liked children, but she **really** didn't want to look like a monster in front of the crowd of people that had crowded into the rink with them.

"It's okay", Chloe soothed her while releasing her grip on Aubrey's shoulder and patting the top of her head. "I didn't mean to yell at you, I just got a little upset. It's oka-"

"-Oh shit!" Aubrey screamed as she lost her balance again, this time falling heavily on her backside and attracting the attention of everyone around her. As Chloe dropped to her knees and started to check over her for bruises and cuts, Aubrey blushed heavily and whimpered a little from the pain and the embarrassment.

Just as Chloe kissed the top of her head and Aubrey started to feel a _tiny_ bit better over the whole situation, she looked over at Charlotte and caught her laughing gleefully at the sight of her sister's girlfriend sprawled on her butt in front of hundreds of people. She **hated** ice skating and the cold and looking like an idiot, but most of all she disliked Charlotte with an intensity that she usually reserved for defense lawyers that she faced off against in trials.

_You dislike a six year old, Posen? That's real mature._ Aubrey thought as Chloe started to help her to her feet. And as she lost her balance again and sent them both tumbling to the ice in a mess of limbs and grunts of pain, she could hear Charlotte cackling and practically melted the ice with the warm breaths being huffed from her mouth.

Dislike was too generous of a word, she finally decided as the stinging in her backside intensified. Hate. That was a much better word.

* * *

"Okay guys, it's time for bed." Aubrey called from the bathroom as she finished brushing her teeth and washing her face. It was close to midnight and after having to endure corn dogs for dinner and a marathon of Disney movies, she was ready for the night to be over and for Charlotte's reign of terror to come to a close. The apartment smelt heavily of popcorn and pizza and she scowled as she left the tiny water closet and stepped into the messy living room.

"What are you guys doing?!" Aubrey exclaimed, freezing in the arch of the doorway as she gazed at the scene in front of her. There were sheets and blankets hanging between the couch and the loveseat, forming a dropping impersonation of a tent. "This place is a pigsty!"

"We made a fort!" Charlotte exclaimed while popping her head out and smiling up at Aubrey. "Do you want to sleep in here tonight? We're going to camp out and tell scary stories. Chloe said we could even make s'mores on the stove!"

"Really, Chloe? You're actually going to sleep on the floor when we have a perfectly good bed?" Aubrey asked as she opened up the flap formed by her comforter and peered in at Chloe, who was tucked in a corner and flipping through an _Entertainment Weekly_. "We have an electric range. How do you expect to pull that off?"

"I'll think of something, you party pooper! Are you sure that you don't want to join us? Are you sure that you're not afraid of our ghost stories? I think that might be it…"

As Charlotte started to laugh and tease her, Aubrey just shook her head and closed the tent before slumping back to her bedroom and shutting the door behind her. And as she peered at her bed and saw that it had been completely stripped and left with only a tiny blanket and a pillow, she simply scoffed and flipped the light off before falling onto the mattress and groaning into her pillow.

_One more day, Bree. Just hold it together and everything will be okay. She's just a little girl…_

* * *

Aubrey was awoken by what she swore was a scream and jumped up in bed, breathing heavily and looking around in the dim of the room as she sorted herself out. When she looked next to her and saw that Chloe had climbed into bed with her at some point during the night, she smiled a little and shook her head before lying back down and closing her eyes. Before she could drift off again though, she swore that she heard whimpering coming from the living room and sighed before climbing out of bed and shuffling out to the living room.

When she arrived out there, she was surprised to see that the electric lantern that they kept for emergencies was lit inside of the tent and kneeled down next to flap to see what was going on inside at three in the morning. As she slid the flap open and looked inside, she felt her heart break a little when she saw Charlotte huddled against the side of the tent, holding her knees to her chest and crying softly while she visibly shook.

"Charlie?" Aubrey whispered while reaching out to touch her shoulder. "What's going on, kiddo? Do you want me to get Chloe?"

"N-no", Charlotte stammered as a hiccup turned into a sob and she swiped at her runny nose with the back of her hand. "I had a b-bad dream. Can I call my mom?"

"It's really late, Charlie." Aubrey soothed her while opening up the flap a little more and sliding inside so she could comfort the girl better. "I think that your mom and dad are probably in bed right now and we shouldn't wake them. Is there something that I can do? Do you want to talk about it?"

Charlotte simply shook her head and cried a little harder, hugging a pillow to her chest and heaving with sobs. Aubrey frowned a little as she buried her running nose into her favorite pillow case, but ignored it as she searched her head for something to make the girl feel better. What did her parents do when she had a bad dream? They usually just ignored her and somehow, that seemed like the worst thing that she could possibly do. And so, she swallowed her pride and softly said "Do you want a hug?"

Charlotte nodded slightly and Aubrey inched forward, taking the small girl in her arms and holding her as she cried herself out. She rubbed her back gently and hummed a soothing melody into her ear and after fifteen minutes or so, the girl was finally calmed down enough to lie back down and be tucked in.

Aubrey lingered in the doorway of the tent for a few moments, watching the girl as she gave her a tiny smile of relief and snuggled into her pillow, falling asleep almost instantaneously. Aubrey smiled a little and inched her way back out of the tent, standing up as she backed the whole way out and turning around to face a beaming Chloe Beale.

"What are you doing out here?" Aubrey whispered while grabbing Chloe's arm and pulling her away from the quite tent. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh, pretty much all of it", Chloe teased while pulling Aubrey into her arms and giving her a warm embrace. "That was the sweetest thing that I've ever seen you do. Thank you for taking care of my little sister."

"It was nothing", Aubrey whispered into her ear while guiding her out of the living room and into their bedroom. "It wasn't like I could just leave her alone and let her cry. I'm gruff, but I'm not a monster."

"No, you're not gruff", Chloe replied while pushing Aubrey back onto the bed and flopping down next to her. "In fact, you're so fluffy that you're practically a marshmallow."

"Chloe, don't even start", Aubrey warned while pulling her on top of her body and nuzzling her face in her hair. "I'm not fluffy, I'm stern. She's afraid of me and I **like** it."

"Oh stop it. You're my little marshmallow and I love you for it. Just wait until I tell mom about this. She's going to let us watch Charlotte all the time. Isn't that great!"

"Just for that", Aubrey began while yanking the only blanket that was on the bed out from underneath Chloe's body, "I get the blanket."

And as Chloe giggled and dove underneath of it to share it with her girlfriend, Aubrey couldn't help but smile to herself. Maybe it wouldn't be **too** bad after all. Maybe Charlotte even liked her a little bit.

Not bad for a marshmallow.


	5. I've Got This Friend

**A/N: I own absolutely nothing. If you've read this before, you'll see that this is not what I originally had for chapter five. I decided that I liked that idea too much to leave it as a one-shot and will now be turning it into a small series. This is the new chapter five. The title from this chapter comes from the song from the fantastic Civil Wars. Enjoy!**

* * *

_I am not scared of the elements_  
_I am underprepared, but I am willing_  
_And even better_  
_I get to be the other half of you_

_I Choose You- Sara Bareilles_

* * *

**Theme Five: Birthday**

**Title: I've Got This Friend**

* * *

"So, my friend Bailey told me about this girl that her brother went to high school with and she totally said it. No one ever saw her again and her parents moved away because they were so upset. It's totes true."

Those were the words that were whispered from Chloe's cousin Tina's mouth as the girls huddled around a flashlight in her bedroom. It was after midnight and they really should have been sleeping, but this was a sleepover and everyone knows that you don't go to sleep at a sleepover. They had just celebrated Chloe's birthday and while Chloe hated to have a sleepover, because honestly Tina was a slob and snored like a chainsaw, her mother had insisted. Tina was coming the whole way from Savannah to Winder to celebrate with the family and it wasn't fair to expect her to travel four hours back home just because Chloe didn't want to be inconvenienced.

And so, this was how Chloe found her bedroom full of teenage girls and her stupid, annoying cousin Tina. It hadn't been all that bad, Chloe must admit; because Bethany from her chemistry class had snuck a bottle of peach schnapps from her mother's liquor cabinet into her sleeping bag and it had been kind of fun to pass it around while her mother had thought they were sleeping. And while it hadn't tasted great and it burnt the back of her mouth, it was cool to pretend to be grown up.

The bottle was half gone and after Chloe had pled with the girls to not make them play truth or dare, because she knew Tina was a perve and remembered that Christina from down the street had made her streak the last time they played, they had settled on telling scary stories. And while Chloe was still on the heady high of turning sixteen and getting amazing presents and the promise of maybe getting her learner's permit, she hated the idea. Not because she got scared, which was something that she would never admit, but because she just wanted to go to bed. That was her story and she was sticking to it. Because honestly, who was afraid of stupid old urban legends that got passed down and changed and became more and more ridiculous with each generation?

So no, she wasn't scared. The goosebumps on the tops of her arms and the way that her eyes were darting from the windows to the door and back were just a side effect of the alcohol. And the way that she had inched closer to Aubrey, who had scoffed with each story and simply rolled her eyes, was just being friendly. She was **definitely** not scared. Not when she was sixteen and at her birthday party. That wouldn't have been fair.

* * *

"It's just not logical, Tina", Aubrey replied while rolling her eyes and smirking at Chloe. "Honestly, how can a person fit into your mirror and then be magically summoned just by saying their name? And don't you think that if someone was really killed by her, it would have ended up on the news? It's so stupid."

"You're stupid", Tina shot back while elbowing Christina and laughing. "Anyone who thinks that a telescope is a good birthday present is stupid. What do you even know about Bloody Mary? I bet this was your first slumber party."

Aubrey's face fell at Tina's words and Chloe decided that enough was enough. Aubrey was her best friend and while she didn't doubt that Tina's words were true, she wouldn't stand for her upsetting the nicest person that she knew.

"Guys, can we just stop talking about this? I'm tired and I think it's time that we went to bed. And Tina, I loved the telescope. So, leave Aubrey alone and turn the light out before my mom comes up here and kills us."

"Oh, come on Chloe! You think it's true, right?" Bethany asked while raising her eyebrow and daring her to say no. "If not…maybe you should try it."

"W-what?"

"You heard her", Tina jumped in while pointing at the floor length mirror that was in the corner of Chloe's bedroom. "If you don't believe me and you think that Aubrey is right, why don't you stand up and walk over to it and say it?"

"You guys…", Chloe trailed off as her face grew red and her anxiety built up. She wiped her sweaty hands off on her sleeping bag and looked at all of their waiting faces before turning to Aubrey and biting her lip. This was **not** how her birthday was supposed to go. "I just don't think that it's a good idea. Let's just go to bed."

"She's afraid!" Christina cackled while giving Bethany a high-five and smirking at Chloe. "Really, Chloe? You're acting like a baby. Just do it!"

"I…", Chloe couldn't force the words out of her mouth and grew wide-eyed for a moment before sinking down a little further in her sleeping bag and trying to block out the laughter.

"You guys are such jerks!"

Chloe looked up from her sleeping bag and felt her mouth drop open as Aubrey climbed out of her own and stomped over to the mirror. Tina smirked at Chloe before looking up at Aubrey and arching an eyebrow, daring her to say the words.

"Bloody Mary."

Chloe felt her heart beat a little faster and she tried to tear her eyes away from Aubrey as she stood her ground in front of the mirror. If she was even the tiniest bit afraid of what might happen, she wasn't letting on and Chloe couldn't help but feel pride that this was who she had chosen as her best friend.

"Bloody Mary."

The other girls had stopped laughing now and were watching Aubrey intently as her mouth readied itself to say the final words. Chloe couldn't take much more of this. At this rate, they were all going to have nightmares and she just wanted Aubrey to sit down so they could all sleep easily and get this whole stupid thing over with. It wasn't fair. This wasn't how her birthday was supposed to be.

"Bree, you don't have to", Chloe pled as Aubrey simply nodded in agreement, but didn't back down. No one was picking on her best friend on her birthday and getting away with it.

"Bloody Ma-"

Before Aubrey could complete the sentence, the room suddenly went pitch black and in a house in perfect little subdivision in suburban Georgia, four teenage girls screamed so loudly that they woke up the neighbors on either side of them.

And needless to say, Chloe's mom was pissed.

* * *

"Tina, what possessed you to turn off the lights?" Mrs. Beale asked as the other girls sat silently in their sleeping bags and tried to avoid her wrath. "Do you know that Mrs. Martino next door has a heart condition? And that I had to apologize to her seven times for nearly setting off her pacemaker? What if something would have happened, girls?"

"I'm sorry Aunt Victoria, it won't happen again."

"It's okay and thank you for the apology. Now, it's almost one in the morning and you girls should be asleep. I'm turning out the light for real this time."

"Thanks, mom", Chloe murmured from behind the pillow that her face was tucked into. She just wanted to sleep and forget about all of this. She couldn't believe what Tina had done and how fast her mother had run up the stairs, her face pale with worry and her hands shaking when she saw Chloe lying on the floor, covering her face with her hands as she quaked with fear.

She was **never** having another sleepover again.

* * *

She really needed to get a brighter nightlight. The one that was plugged underneath her desk was not doing her any good and while it was nice to have something to focus on in the darkened room, it wasn't stopping her from jumping with each noise that she heard. A bark from her golden retriever Bilbo, the scratch of a branch of the sycamore tree against the siding of the house as the wind blew, the shift of a girl in a sleeping bag, and even her own panted breaths when she caught herself falling asleep.

She was going to **kill** Tina in the morning.

But first, she had to actually fall asleep and that was beginning to become a problem. Her eyes were aching and her head was pounding, but every time she shut her eyes her brain went crazy. She couldn't close them without imaging someone climbing through the mirror and ripping her eyes out and maybe it was just better to stay awake for a little while longer. It was the summer and she was sure that she would be okay. In fact, maybe it would be a nice test to see how long she could stay up. Yeah, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Who the hell was she kidding? _Happy Birthday to me…_

* * *

"Chloe, why are you still awake?" Aubrey whispered from her place on the floor a foot away from her.

"Why are you still awake?" Chloe countered, trying her hardest to keep her voice low to avoid waking up the rest of the girls.

"**I** can't sleep because _you're_ not asleep. You keep flipping over every two minutes and it's distracting. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine", Aubrey replied before sitting up in her sleeping bag and scooching on the floor until she was up against Chloe. Once she was close enough, she laid back down and poked Chloe's shoulder, smiling when she flipped over and stared into her eyes. "Is this about the whole mirror thing? I said it and nothing happened. It's just a dumb story and it's nothing to be afraid of."

"Tell that to Tina's friend's brother's classmate."

And as the words slipped from her lips, Chloe couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was. There were no monsters under the bed or insane women hiding out in her mirror. They were just stories and she felt like an idiot for even believing it for a second. She was okay.

Or at least she was until the loose shutter that hung next to her window creaked in the wind and she yelped before diving into her sleeping bag again.

This was the worst night of her life.

* * *

Aubrey wanted so badly to smile and laugh at how childish Chloe was acting, but this was her best friend and she could never hurt her. Chloe had been the only girl at their high school that ever gave her a chance and even if it meant admitting that Tina was right, this **had** been her first sleepover ever. And it wasn't like she could just let Chloe suffer as the night slipped away at a snail's pace. And so, she did the only thing that she could think of, even if it made her feel terribly anxious and like she was going to break apart. This was what friends did and really, she was just happy to have one.

"What are you doing?" Chloe whispered as Aubrey unzipped the side of her sleeping bag and opened it up a little. "I'm pretty sure that these are only supposed to fit one person."

"I'm not stupid, Chlo. Just…let me hold your hand. You can squeeze mine whenever you get scared and maybe it will help you calm down."

Chloe bit her bottom lip at first, a little anxious of the prospect of holding her best friend's hand, but couldn't think of anything better to calm herself down and wiggled her arm out from underneath her body. She inched it across the tiny distance between the two of them and Aubrey gave her a small smile before taking Chloe's hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly.

And for the first time since they left the presents and cake downstairs, Chloe actually felt okay.

* * *

"Do you feel better now?" Aubrey murmured as the sleep crept over her body and threatened to take her away. Chloe was still clutching her hand though and as long as she was holding on, there was no way that Aubrey was letting go. "Less afraid of the mirror?"

"Stop it!" Chloe giggled while shoving her a little and trying not to burst into full on laughter. "You know, Tina is a **very** convincing storyteller."

"Oh, sure", Aubrey agreed while smirking and holding back her own smile. "Especially when every other word was 'like' and she changed up the ending to the story like three times. She's pretty good."

"I hate you sometimes."

"You know, I could let go of your hand whenever I want. I don't _have_ to hold it, Chlo."

"Don't let go."

And as the words spilt from Chloe's lips in a whisper and Aubrey smiled while squeezing her hand a little harder, Chloe felt it. She was sixteen and had never been kissed, but in a room that smelt like pizza and lip gloss, she couldn't help herself from surging forward and pressing her lips to Aubrey's.

* * *

Aubrey might have been more surprised at Chloe's forwardness than even Chloe was, but there was no way that she was going to pull herself away. She had just never expected to get kissed and it was really happening and she didn't want to pull away. It was happening with someone that she genuinely liked and it was perfect. And she knew that it would sound like a cliché, but she just wanted to remember every detail. From Chloe's hand that was still clutched in her own to the way that her mouth tasted like peaches and icing.

The way that it felt like forever.

But eventually it ended, like all perfect moments did, and the two girls stared at each other in the darkened room for a few quiet moments as it all settled in. They both knew that they could never go back to the way they were before, but maybe it was better that way. From the way that Chloe's heart was beating a wild cadence against her chest and how Aubrey's hands were trembling, it had meant something to both of them that could never be vocalized. But all Aubrey knew was that maybe they didn't need words for everything and that maybe it was better to just define something by the way that she felt and remembered that moment. But of course, thinking just wasn't enough sometimes and she blushed as she took her foot and inserted it into her mouth.

"Thank you."

_Who the hell thanked someone for kissing them?_

Chloe couldn't help herself from smiling as Aubrey's eyes widened in shock of the words that somehow slipped out, but she didn't dare laugh. Instead, she squeezed Aubrey's hand a little tighter before moving closer to her and snuggling against her sleeping bag. She yawned heavily as her head found comfort against the warm fabric of the sleeping bag and her eyes nearly closed from the exhaustion that had been nipping at her heels all night, but she managed to stop herself before slipping away completely.

"I want to talk about **us** in the morning."

And when Aubrey simply smiled and nodded gently, Chloe knew that it would be a good conversation and closed her eyes as warmth swept over her body. It started in her chest and crept up to her head and down to her toes, enveloping her with a comfort that she had never felt before. It felt good and she knew that she never wanted to lose it. She never wanted to let go.

And so, she kept squeezing that hand as Aubrey's breathing steadied and her own eyes slowly drifted shut. And in the blur of her racing thoughts, one stood out in particular as she slipped away.

This birthday was her best one yet.


End file.
